The present invention relates to displays such as meter panels of automobiles and advertising displays and a process for production thereof.
Meter panels are usually produced by repeated screen printing method using plastic plates such as polycarbonate resin, acrylic resin and polyvinyl chloride resin plates. In this process, the screen printing must be repeated many times which are the same as the variety of the colors for forming multi-color images. Accordingly, a great deal of labor and time are necessitated for the toning by mixing inks and tuning up of the screen printing machine.
A process wherein an image-forming material having a color photosensitive composition layer is exposed and developed to form a color image and then it is transferred onto a support is well known from, for example. Japanese Patent Publication for Opposition Purpose (hereinafter referred to as "J. P. KOKOKU") Nos. 46-15326 and 49-441 and Japanese Patent Unexamined Published Application (hereinafter referred to as `J. P. KOKAI`) Nos. 47-41830 and 51-5101. However, this process has defects in that it is troublesome, since an adhesive is used at each time of the transfer, that the conformity of the position in the transfer of the color image is difficult and that the final image is seen reversed from right to left.
J. P. KOKAI No. 59-97140 discloses a process for overcoming the above-described defects wherein the image of each color is transferred onto an image-receiving sheet having a photo-polymerizable image-receiving layer prior to the transfer of the image of each color onto the permanent support, then the image is transferred onto the permanent support and the photo-polymerizable receiving layer is fixed by the whole image exposure. Although this process is effective for the production of color-proofing printing sheets, it has defects when it is employed for the production of meter panels. Namely, the defects are that the reliability thereof is unsatisfactory, since the adhesion to the permanent support is insufficient and the layer is peeled off from the support or it expands during the production steps or storage at a high temperature and at a high humidity.
In particular, meter dial plates of automobils can be used not only under the severe condition, for example, requiring heat-resistance, light-resistance, and temperature change-resistance, but also have to retain the physical resistance for cutting the plate so as to incorporate it into meter case, drilling apertures for providing with indicators or fixing with bolts. However, many meter dial plates are prepared by the conventional screen-printing method, so that the thus prepared multicolor printed surface thereof is not sufficient for high-grade and colored meter dial plates. Therefore, it has been required to develop the technique for preparing the full colored plates having high image strength, high density and high resolving power.